Fall '23 Idaho Bear Hunt Writeup

[LIWolverine]

As I came into the draw I looked down and a smudge of white caught my eye. Looking further, I could see that it was a cow elk skeleton. Moving a little further down I saw another skeleton, another elk; how strange……. While examining the remains I noticed one more skeleton. This one was definitely different. Much smaller and scattered. As I looked around I saw what almost looked like a human arm and hand but at the fingertips were claws. A black bear. I’d never seen anything like this scene, two dead elk and a black bear all in the same 50yd rd radius, high on a mountain nowhere near a road in the backcountry of Idaho.

What was there left to do but to take the claws? I searched for another leg but never found the others. Just the one with 5 claws attached. I also found the skull and still regret that I didn’t bring it back as well.

That was in 2002. I was 17 years old and on my first western hunt for elk. Even though we got really close a few times we weren’t successful. No matter, that trip to the western mountains lit a spark in me and a longing to return to those mountains. I had never felt a pull like that before from any other place on earth.

(part 2 coming)

 

[LIWolverine]

Sunday night the phone rang. It was my best friend, Chad, calling to fill me in on his elk hunt in Colorado. He got in on them hot and heavy with multiple encounters but no arrows loosed. I couldn’t take it anymore…..I told him “that’s it, I’m going”. I decided right then that I was headed into the house to ask my wife how much trouble I would be in if I left in two days for 5-7 days with no prior notice and no real plan.

After being given the green light I called Chad again and told him the news. I wanted to know if it was worth me heading back into where he had just left to go after an elk. He reported that the elk had shut up and had left the elevations they were at. It was a long 6-7 miles to pack from the trailhead and a 15 hour drive. Considering the odds of success, I had one backup plan- to head into the Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho after bear and wolves. I had a place I knew would be pretty high probability of at least seeing something for all my trouble. The map showed that it was a 30 hour drive to my destination. I informed my wife of my plans to go alone, which didn’t stir up feelings of great confidence in her mind. I had never been that far on a hunt by myself before. The usual questions and worries came- what if something happens, aren’t your afraid, please be careful, make sure we know where you are and you have a backup plan.

Once all of her fears were settled and questions were answered, it was time to pack! I only had two days to get it all pulled together. Late Tuesday night everything was loaded and ready to roll. I set my alarm for 3:00am and went to sleep, not easily, with high hopes for my trip. 3:00am came in the blink of an eye and off I headed. I got around 22 hours of driving in the first day and stopped for a quick 4hr nap and hit the road again. It was 3:00pm on Thursday by the time I reached my camping destination. After rushing to get camp set up, I hopped on the 4 wheeler for a short ride to my hiking destination. Armed with all my necessary gear, I set out from the 4 wheeler with plans to scout and sit and glass until dark. As I made my way around, I noticed more and more bear scat. Tons and tons of piles near some feed trees that showed that I had hit the timing perfectly. I knew there were bears in the area; I just couldn’t tell if it was all at night or if they were coming in during any daylight hours. After scouting around a bit more, without disturbing the area too much, I headed up the mountain for a good vantage point. I had some possible shots from this spot but it would mostly be just an observation sit for the evening to get a better plan of action for the next few days.

 

[ArcherAnthony]

Can't wait for the rest.

 

[LIWolverine]

(Part 3)
Darkness soon came and I had nothing but a mule deer doe to show for it. Even when you don’t see much it can have a healing effect on the soul. Being still and quiet in the wilderness brings a peace that you can’t find in civilization. I made my way down the mountain to the 4 wheeler in the dark and headed back to camp. On my way down my four wheeler was acting up. It kept trying to lunge out from underneath me and revving up. Normally that wouldn’t be a very big problem, but considering that it was dark, and that there is a steep cliff drop off to the river below, it made things a little precarious.

Even with the hiccups, I made it back down, but right at the base of the mountain My four wheeler died. I checked, and there was a little fuel in the tank, but it would not start. I finally gave up and decided to hike the rest the way back to camp and I would come back for it tomorrow morning. Even with the disappointment of the four wheeler breaking down, I still had extremely high hopes for the morning.

The alarm came at 5 AM. Now that the four wheeler was out of commission around the 2 mile hike up to where I will sit and wait as I left Camp I had to cross the bridge over the river, and I am almost 100% certain I busted a beer right at the bridge. I heard a huff and a bunch of limbs and stuff breaking, walking in the dark with just a headlamp up a small game trail in bear country is it is a little nerve-racking. I made my way up the mountain quickly. When I was within a quarter-mile of my destinations, I snuck down closer to the river so that the thermals would pull my scent away from where I believe the Bears would be out feeding. I settled into some downfall, propped my rifle up, set up my camera and waited. Shockingly in about five minutes a bear popped his head up. Not just any bear, as looked at him in the scope all I could think was CHOCOLATE. He appeared to be laying down underneath a tree feeding, sitting up and then laying back down again. Every couple of minutes he would sit up and pop his head up, look around and lay back down. This went on for 15 to 20 minutes, as soon as he stood and turned broadside slightly cornering to me, I knew that was my opportunity. I readied my rifle turn the camera on, flipped the safety off, settled the crosshairs and let him have a 140grain pill. I could hear the resounding hollow whack of a hit reverberating off the mountain and saw him immediately go down, as I was racking another shell, I watched him rolling around on the ground , he popped up for just a second and I thought maybe something had gone wrong and he was going to get away, I was ready to shoot again when he rolled again and came to rest in a small ravine under a tree.

 

[LIWolverine]

(Part 4)
Words can’t describe the excitement and elation at what had just taken place. I was shaking just as much as if it was my largest Whitetail deer, but in completely different surroundings, the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains and the Frank Church wilderness, the sound of the river behind me, the smell of fresh burned gunpowder all mingle to make an incredible scene and moment; one that I will never forget.

Fog hung on my breath as I tried to control my breathing and emotions. Hundreds of thoughts rushed through my mind- finding a dead bear just a few miles from this spot over 20 years ago, a necklace made of his claws around my neck, the 30 hours of driving to get there, the miss from two years ago, the hours of reading bear hunting magazine and watching all the YouTube videos on bear hunting, the look of hope from my wife and kids that I would stay safe and be successful, the phone call I received New Year’s Eve saying my mom was gone……. All of these came to mind in the blink of an eye.

After gathering myself I slowly made my way to my bear. What an amazing animal. A beautiful chocolate brown coat turning almost black toward his feet. A thick coat of hair and FAT. He was everything I had hoped for and more. I never imagined that my first black bear would be chocolate or that it would be on a solo hunt in such a rugged and remote place. I had just assumed it would be over bait or behind dogs somewhere with a couple of people around to share it with.

This was about so much more than just a bear. it was about being alone, getting out in nature, surrounding myself with creation and about reflection. we lost my mom unexpectedly New Year’s Eve, and I’ve just been in survival mode since then and I figured a trip to the mountains was what I needed to proceed and be still and quiet for a while. Turns out, it was exactly what I needed. Most people don’t really think of the mountains as being an emotional place, but there’s something special about them, something a bit magical. I think all men are drawn to wild places, wondering what’s around the next hill or down the river. What might be over the mountain top or just beyond the horizon. sometimes we find our quarry, and sometimes we find something else, something, unexpected….ourselves.

Doesn’t really matter what you’re looking for, but it’s probably out there.

---Hunt will be put up on Youtube after a bit and I will post the link here. ---

 

[LIWolverine]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[LIWolverine]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[LIWolverine]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[LIWolverine]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[ArcherAnthony]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Bigborealaska]

Awesome writeup and fantastic bear. I hope to get a bear with my bow this year. I've never had a desire to hunt bear in the past but I do now.

 

[MoeFaux]

great story!

 

[LIWolverine]

Video posted on YouTube

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Great video. Thanks. You did great for self filming. I enjoyed watching that.
Being from Arkansas, you clearly had done some pretty good scouting two years before in order to find that place. Did you find it previously just when hunting elk nearby or how did you find a place like that?